The present invention generally relates to a method, system and article of manufacture for promoting interest in a specific website on the Internet, and more particularly, to such a method and system utilizing an article of manufacture, such as a book, which is distributed in incomplete form and is completed by accessing the website being promoted where the missing part of the article of manufacture is obtained.
The advent of the Internet has increased the ability of businesses to make information available to their customers and the public in general. Corporations, manufacturers, advertisers, retailers, service providers and the like all have a need to provide customers, potential customers and the others with information about their products and companies. Retailers in particular need to provide consumers with product information to promote and support the products they distribute. In addition, product analysts, manufacturer""s representatives, shippers, and others also need information about the companies, goods and services with which they deal. The Internet is an excellent medium to achieve the dissemination of such information due to the ease with which information on a website can be updated and tailored to a specific audience.
In addition to the foregoing, many Internet website owners generate revenue by posting advertisements on their website, for which they are paid by the sponsor based on the number of xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d or visits to the website. In view of the foregoing, there is a need for devising a way to attract people to a particular website either to increase revenue from advertising and/or to provide information to consumers and customers regarding a particular product, corporation, movie, service or other promotional interests.
While the World Wide Web permits advertisers, corporations and business entities to make detailed, up-to-date information about products and businesses available via the Internet, the information is often difficult to locate, particularly if the URL (uniform resource locator) of the website entity is not generally known to the consumer or public. One prior art approach of making URL information easily available to the public is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,865 to Palmer et al. wherein the URL address is transmitted simultaneously with a radio or television broadcast. This address is received by a computer specially adapted to pick-up radio/television broadcasts and used to automatically access the on-line website. Such an approach requires special equipment that must be purchased by the consumer in order to be able to receive the URL information. Thus, in order for the owner of the website to use such an arrangement, reliance must be made on the use of equipment that is expensive and benefits only the website owner, as opposed to the consumer.
Another known technique for attracting interest in a specific website is by offering free services and software. Recently, free lottery opportunities have been offered by various websites, the winnings being paid for by the advertisers that sponsor that particular website. This approach is expensive and does not guarantee that the desired level of traffic will be achieved, but does require the payment of the lottery winnings regardless of the number of xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d the website generates. In addition, this approach fails to make the URL information easily available to potential viewer which must still xe2x80x9csurfxe2x80x9d the Web in order to locate such a website.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method, system and article of manufacture for promoting interest in a specific website on the Internet that is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for promoting interest in a specific website which utilizes an article of manufacture such as a book, which is distributed in incomplete form, as part of a promotion, for example, as a gift or award, or sold over the counter, and is completed by accessing the specific particular website on the World Wide Web at which the missing part of the article of manufacture is obtained.
One particular advantageous feature of the present invention is that it does not require the purchase of expense or specific equipment by the consumer in order to attract attention to a particular website.
Yet another advantageous feature of the present invention is that it can be used in connection with the promotion of a certain product or service as an incentive to link the public to a specific website associated with the promoted product or service so that additional information and/or advertising is provided to the public regarding the promotion.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention are achieved by a method of promoting interest in a particular website which comprises, according to one embodiment thereof, the steps of: connecting a computer to the Internet at a specific address, the computer storing a website with information which the owner of the website desires to be accessed by the public and distributing an article of manufacture, such as, for example, a book, in incomplete form to a recipient. With the distribution of the article of manufacture, the address of the website being promoted is provided along with instructions directing the recipient of the incomplete article of manufacture to access the website at the specific address on the Internet to obtain the missing part of the article of manufacture. The recipient then accesses the website and views, downloads and/or prints out the missing part of the article of manufacture.
The present invention also includes a system for promoting interest in a particular website on the Internet which comprises, according to one embodiment thereof, a computer connected to the Internet at specific address, on which the website to be promoted is stored. The system also includes an article of manufacture, such as, for example, a book or puzzle, which is distributed to a recipient in incomplete form as part of a promotion, for example, as a gift or award, or sold over the counter. With the incomplete article of manufacture are instructions directing the recipient to access the particular website that is being promoted in order to obtain the missing part of the incomplete article of manufacture.
According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the incomplete article of manufacture comprises, for example, a book, a puzzle, a software program or any other article of manufacture having a missing part that can be supplied by accessing the website being promoted and viewing, downloading and/or printing out the missing part of the article of manufacture.